MELAKA: A trader who stomped on a man's head continuously for one minute, resulting in his death, has been sent to the gallows by the Melaka High Court here.

The accused, S. Pandiaraj, 33, was calm when Judge Datuk Ahmad Nasfy Yasin handed down the verdict here on Wednesday (June 29).

Ahmad Nasfy, in sentencing, said the court found that the death of S. Ammos Devaprraven, 27, was inconsistent with injuries sustained in a road accident as alleged by a witness.

He said that based on the examination of the testimony of prosecution witnesses and supported by forensic evidence, the accused's actions had caused fatal injuries.

"After careful consideration, the court is satisfied that the accused failed to give reasonable evidence against the prosecution's case.

"The court has no option except for the death penalty," he said.

Earlier, according to the charge, S. Pandiaraj, along with two others who are still at large, were jointly charged with having the common intention to commit murder and causing the death of the victim in front of Chithras Mini Mart, Jalan Tun Ali in Melaka Tengah district, around 4.30am on Oct 21, 2016.

The victim was stomped on for a minute after the accused was unhappy with him. The victim was taken to Melaka Hospital by another witness who made a false report claiming that the deceased was involved in a hit-and-run accident.

However, another witnesses contacted the deceased's brother and told him the truth.

The accused was charged with committing the offence under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which provides for a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

The prosecution was conducted by state prosecution director Ahmad Sazali Omar and Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Nabilalif Mohd Rosli while the accused was represented by lawyer Paul Krishnaraja.

A total of 16 prosecution witnesses were called throughout the proceedings conducted since 2018. – Bernama